Rays 5 HRs, Price's pitching beat Red Sox 14-5

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BOSTON(AP) -- David Price got plenty of support when Tampa Bay hit
five homers. The way he was pitching, he didn't need much of it.

The left-hander allowed two hits over six innings and the Rays
beat the Boston Red Sox 14-5 on Tuesday night to move 1 1/2
games behind the first-place New York Yankees in the AL East.

"I get asked about it every now and then. That's about all the
thinking I do about" the Cy Young award, Price said. "I'm set on
bigger goals than that. We've got the World Series on our minds
right now so that's what we're playing for."

Price (17-6) gave up two runs, one earned, lowered his ERA to
2.87 and left with a 14-2 lead. CC Sabathia, another leading Cy
Young candidate, had a rough outing Tuesday in the Baltimore
Orioles' 6-2 win over the Yankees. He allowed six runs in 6 1-3
innings and fell to 19-6 with a 3.14 ERA.

"Any win right now is huge," Price said. "I didn't even know we
had lost three in a row. ... Every game from here on out is
going to have the same amount of emphasis on it."

Price gave up the two runs before retiring a batter but allowed
just two hits by Victor Martinez. Boston led 2-0 until Ben
Zobrist's two-run homer in the third off Daisuke Matsuzaka
(9-5).

The Rays added two homers in the fifth, a two-run shot by Jason
Bartlett and a three-run drive by Evan Longoria, then got
back-to-back homers in the sixth from Dan Johnson and B.J.
Upton. Boston had not allowed a homer in its previous six games.

"When you win the way we did, it makes it a little bit more
comforting in this building," Longoria said. "The lead is never
comfortable, even when you're up eight or nine. To be up where
we were late in the game, it's a good feeling."

Carl Crawford went 4 for 4 in just five innings, including
doubles in his first three at-bats. He has 12 hits in his last
19 at-bats. He left for a pinch-hitter in the seventh as both
teams made numerous lineup changes. Crawford is hitting .350 in
25 games since moving into the third spot in Tampa Bay's lineup.

"In the two-hole, he gets less opportunities," manager Joe
Maddon said. "By putting him (No.) three with two guys with high
on-base percentage in front of him, potentially to get on base,
that increases his potential to drive in runs."

The Rays fell one homer short of their club record and scored a
season high in runs. The outburst came one day after a 12-5 loss
to Boston.

The Red Sox were hoping to sweep the three-game series, which
ends Wednesday night. That would have put them 4 1/2 games
behind the Rays for the wild-card berth. Instead, they are 7 1/2
back and manager Terry Francona abandoned his contingency plan
to use Clay Buchholz on three days' rest if the Red Sox had won
Tuesday. Instead, Tim Wakefield will start against the Rays.

"I knew very well that this was a critical game," Matsuzaka
said, "so to allow what happened to happen so early in the game,
I can really only apologize to my teammates and to the fans."

Boston went ahead when Marco Scutaro reached on an error by
first baseman Carlos Pena, Darnell McDonald walked and Martinez
doubled them home. The only other hit off Price was a single by
Martinez in the third.

"Those two runs scored and that was that," Longoria said. "He
did a great job settling in. He's been the anchor, he's been the
stopper for us and he's been able to get us out of the rut when
we need it and tonight was no different."

After tying the game, the Rays scored four runs in the fourth,
six in the fifth and two in the sixth.

Matsuzaka walked the first two batters in the fourth then threw
late to third when he fielded Upton's sacrifice bunt, loading
the bases. He walked Bartlett, forcing in the go-ahead run.
After John Jaso struck out, Zobrist singled in a run and
Crawford doubled home two.

"Lack of command caught up with him and kind of caught up in a
hurry," Francona said.

The Rays scored their six runs in the fifth after the first two
batters were retired. Upton singled and Bartlett hit his fourth
homer of the year, knocking Matsuzaka out of the game.

Dustin Richardson then walked the next two batters before
fielding Crawford's ground single and firing wildly past first
base, allowing a run to score. Longoria greeted reliever Robert
Manuel with his 20th homer.

After four straight hitless innings, the Red Sox scored three
runs in the eighth off Jeremy Hellickson on McDonald's ninth
homer and RBI doubles by Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jed Lowrie.

Notes: Boston C Jason Varitek played for the first time since
June 30 after recovering from a broken right foot. He replaced
Martinez in the sixth. ... Zobrist's foul ball over the left
field wall hit the sign for the Cask N' Flagon restaurant, a fan
favorite across the street from Fenway Park, on a fly. ...
Longoria's homer landed on the roof of a parking garage, also
across Lansdowne Street. ... SS Scutaro started at 2B because
right shoulder problems. An MRI on Tuesday showed inflammation
in his rotator cuff. ... Pena is in an 0-for-23 slump and is
batting .203. ... Boston issued its sixth bases-loaded walk in
three games.